News: Wow, this Arabic name tops the list of UK baby names this year

WOWZA!!!

For years Muhammad has been racing up the chart of the country’s most popular baby names – and now he has been joined by his sisters Nur and Maryam.
Muhammad is a powerful name that means "praiseworthy", derived from Arabic حمد (hamid) "to praise".

The two girls’ names have been among the most popular of 2014, according to website BabyCentre. 

The data shows a surge in Arabic names in the UK this year, with Omar, Ali and Ibrahim all entering the boys’ top 100 for the first time.

For girls, Maryam has shot up 59 places to number 35, while Nur is a new entry in the girls’ top 100, jumping straight to number 29.

And Muhammad has risen an astonishing 27 places compared to last year to claim the number-one spot for boys.

Sophia was the top name for baby girls but the year’s biggest riser within the girls’ top 100 was Maryam, while the highest new entries were Nur, Emilia and Gracie.

For baby boys, Teddy was the biggest climber within the top 100. The highest new entry was Kian.

Sarah Redshaw, managing editor for BabyCentre, said: ‘With the increase of Arabic names, the top 100 shows the ever-increasing diversity of the UK today.’